


Cars Movies - What If Scenarios

by Author_25



Category: Cars (Movies)
Genre: AS - Alternate Scenes, May contain deaths, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2018-11-04 21:08:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10999026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Author_25/pseuds/Author_25
Summary: What if Chick Hicks was the main character instead of McQueen? What if Doc was in Cars 2? What if Rip Clutchgoneski died in Cars 2? What if Jeff Gorvette's replacements were in the races? What if Germany and France were stages in Cars 2? What if Vil was the villian?These are some of the What If Scenarios that will be answered in this series...enjoy...Special thanks to sarahenany for helping me out with these chapters ;)





	1. II. - The RIP Clutch-Gone-Ski Scenario.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and welcome to another one-shot series. Now, two old writers made a What If series but they stopped updating it. So, I thought I might as well make my own version.  
> Of course, you guys can do requests but remember, some may take longer than others. With that being said, here is the first chapter. Enjoy.
> 
> Special thanks to sarahenany for helping me out with this chapter ;)

"Maybe spinning these cars out won't do it." Grem sighed.  
"Then perhaps..." Professor Z replied darkly through Grem's headset, "...you crank it up. See that orange car?" Grem looked down to see Rip Clutchgoneski behind Francesco in third place. "Perhaps you can teach him the lesson that not everything can turn out the way you planned.”  
Grem smiled evilly. "Go 150% power." Grem pushed the bar all the way to the limit. The camera roared into life.  
Rip overtook Francesco and was beginning to bear down on McQueen when suddenly, he started to feel quite weak. His engine was overheating and he felt his fuel tank go very hot. What happened next sent shivers down the cars’ axles and made their engines run cold. Rip suddenly exploded and his body caught fire. Carla, the Brazilian racecar, and Max, the German racecar, jumped in fright. Rip's body spun four times before stopping, yards from the line, smoke and fire still pouring off him and billowing into the sky  
The sound of crackling flames seemed deafening in the silence that hung over the scene. Francesco continued racing, unaware that McQueen, Carla and Max had stopped. The ambulance, three pitties and two fire-trucks rushed to the scene. Rip’s tires popped from the sudden heat as the flames grew more intense.   
“What happened?” asked McQueen.  
“I don’t know! He just… burst into flame!” one of the pit crew called over the din.  
The fire trucks fought hard until the flames were out, just bits of smoke and soot still rising from Rip’s chassis. Rip's body was almost completely black, with only a few bright patches remaining: spots on his spoiler, a few of the World Grand Prix stickers and parts of Rip's name on his roof.   
It was too late. Rip was dead.  
"Such a shame." Professor said sarcastically through the headset. "He was a very promising car. So full of determination...he will not be missed."  
Grem chuckled.

"I made a terrible mistake," Sir Axlerod announced in a press conference, a few hours after the race was halted. "Alternative fuel is not the future. I put the racers in this horrible position, killing one of them, and almost killed another. The World Grand Prix will be canceled, a funeral will take place in his hometown in a few days and... I have only myself to blame. We never knew much about him or his country, but he had the determination of a true racer, and was the most selflessness one among the racers. He put his country before and above himself. I just wish we got to know him better...He was probably as happy to know us as we were very happy to know him."  
Sir Axlerod continued talking as the mangled body of Rip was taken out of the ambulance. A media Ferrari was speaking for the cameras. “The racetrack has paid for a custom-built coffin 42.4 inches high, 160.1 inches in length and 78 inches wide.”   
Meanwhile, Rip was winched into the coffin. They put the lid over him, lifted the coffin onto a trolley and then pushed him inside the funeral home.


	2. II - The Maters' Tall Tales Scenrio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mater tells McQueen a tale, again, about how he was an agent for a secret operation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a while back, I was talking to two friends about Cars 2 and I said "I think Cars 2 would be better as a Mater Tall Tale than an actual movie." Since then, I couldn't stop think about it and so, here is my version of Cars 2.
> 
> Special thanks to sarahenany for helping me out with this chapter ;)

Nighttime had arrived in Radiator Springs and everyone was heading home from watching a new spy movie at the Drive-Thru.  
"Probably one of the better movies we've watched."  
"You bet your ding dang bumper it was." Silence fell over the cars before Mater broke it. "I was a spy once."  
"What?" A slight chuckle left McQueen's mouth.  
"Not just any spy, one of the best in the world."  
A circle with a steel grey around it followed Mater as he drove past a white background, but stopped when Mater did. He pointed his light at it.  
"Mater7, Agent Mater7."  
"Agent McMissile, this is Agent Redline. My cover has been blown. I require some back-up over."  
"Roger that."  
Two doors swung open as a grey Aston Martin entered the hallway. "I worked alongside two agents, Agent McMissile..." McMissile then entered a room where Mater7 and a purple Jaguar were busy in a workshop. "...and Agent Shiftwell."  
"Our rendezvous with Agent Redline has been blown. He needs our help."  
McMissile, Shiftwell and Mater7 drove to the end of the hallway, where two big metal doors opened. The room had a black asphalt floor rising in a slight ramp, with two long white walls on either side. The wall on the far end of the room, which was a door, slid smoothly up to reveal the blue sky above a large expanse of open sea. McMissile went off the end first and splashed into the water, far below. He reemerged, his wheels gone and replaced with skis. He powered along the water as Shiftwell deployed her side and rear wings. She drove off the edge, but as soon as her wheels left the ground, flames shot out of her exhaust and she flew away, after McMissile. Mater7 smirked, as two large thrusters came out of his truck bed, propelling him forward. Then, out of the top of his tow rope gear, a parachute came out and helped him glide through the air.  
Soon enough, open water gave way to city streets. “There he is!” called Shiftwell as they came upon Agent Redline. The agent had been followed by two gremlins and took off his disguise too soon. Because of this, the gremlins that followed him had started to attack him. Being a muscle car, Redline had the agility and speed to dodge the two gremlins, but because they had attacked at different times, he didn't have a enough time to aim his pistol. As they came upon him, he was facing off against them, about to be gunned down.  
Mater7 detached his parachute and, with his thrusters still burning, rammed right into one of the gremlins, pushing them down the street at top speed. McMissile loaded his front right tire with a magnetic charge and placed it on the gremlin's hood. It stuck there and flung him far away.   
With McMissile and Mater7 watching the streets, Shiftwell went to make the exchange.  
"Are you alright?" asked Finn.  
"Never better." Redline replied, shaking his two front tires. "I think it would be best if we discuss this in a more private location..."

Back at McMissile's secret HQ, Redline put his chip into one of the computers.  
"As you know," Redline began, "for a while, Professor Z was known to be the boss of the L.E.M.O.N.S. However, recent evidence suggests that there may be a new boss, Zygmunt Camshafter, or Zil. His new HQ is somewhere in Havana, Cuba. He bought a warehouse there and has been using it to hide items he stole. I’ve pinpointed the location of the warehouse and also managed to get blueprints of the building."  
"So," Agent McMissile replied, "let's go and get them back. Miss Shiftwell, please contact Siddeley & tell him to meet us outside in a few minutes."  
Siddeley landed outside the HQ and the four cars drove into the back.  
"40 miles outside Havana, west side."  
Siddeley pointed his thrusters down and he took off. Once he was in the air, he pointed his thrusts back and surged forward at supersonic speed.  
Mater7, McMissile, Shiftwell and Redline arrived outside the warehouse.  
"Alright, recharge your invisible panels, put on your disguise kits. We move silently & independently from here on out." McMissile & Shiftwell went around the back with Redline going through the front door. Mater7 turned invisible and drove up the door. Using his hook, he caught the bottom of one of the guards, a black van, and threw him towards the other, an armored but rather dumb-looking four-wheel drive. The door opened as the guard shot past it, so Mater7 jumped over him.   
“What do you think you’re playing at, Mac?” the four-wheel-drive yelled at his buddy, who had landed on top of him.  
“Me? You’re the one who played that dumb prank!”  
“I didn’t!”  
“Well, I don’t see anyone around! Next you’ll tell me it was a ghost car or something!”  
The door slammed behind Mater7as the guards started arguing. The warehouse was dim: the mostly burnt-out lights above him flickered and sparked, strange shadows popping on the walls with each flicker. Mater7 went up the ramp, up onto the upper gangways. He drove along it, watching the ground below. However, up ahead, was another agent, who had his rear wheels hanging over the edge. Mater7 decloaked but as he did, he realised that the front tires were had a rope around them, which were tied to the railings. When he realised it was a trap, it was too late as he felt an electric shock on his rear bumper. He didn't know that Grem was about to attack the agent, Agent Turbo. The electric shock stopped & Mater7 felt like he was about to pass out...

He woke, hanging high above the ground, on a hook. Then, he looked to his left and saw, on the platform...  
"Agent Mater7 and Agent Turbo, oh, it's like Christmas morning."  
"Zil!"  
"Oh, how nice of you to know who I am." Zil smirked evilly. "Shame we can't catch up...kill them!"  
Professor Z flicked a lever and the conveyor belt that the hook was attached to began moving. Mater7 gasped as he saw a pot to his right.  
"Molten Copper, my dear Mater7." Zil then turned to his right and drove onto the scrap pile. Below was a Pacer called Acer. Turbo was in a scrapping machine, which had two sets of jaws. "Like the pile, Turbo? Oh, don't worry...it will look better with you on top of it." Pacer flicked the switch and the jaws began moving towards each other, squishing Turbo. Mater7 was now over the pot of molten copper and the hook dropped him. Mater7 fell and his front tire touched the molten copper…

"Wait a minute!" Mater stopped his story as he looked over at McQueen. "Mater, if you fell into the copper, then how are you now here telling me the story?"  
"...oh, I must have left out the best part of the story..."  
"Molten copper, my dear Mater7." Zil turned to his right when a loud explosion sent bricks flying behind Professor Z and Zil. The outline of a car could be seen through the smoke as it drove towards them.  
"...The arrival of Agent Red Lightning." The car was a red sports car with a lighter red outline of a lightning bolt on its sides and hood.  
"Hello, Zil." Red Lightning fired one of his side bazookas and it hit the ground in front of Zil, pushing him backwards and into the pot. Zil screamed as the heat melted him but his scream soon became muffled by the sound of the molten copper eating up his chassis. Professor Z then turned his attention back to Red Lightning, who had put his side bazookas away, taken out the M4 carbine rifle which laid sideways in his right headlight and pointed it at Professor Z.  
"Dance, monkey." He fired bullets at the ground, as Professor Z began jumping around, trying not to get hit by the bullets. Mater7 was now over the molten copper when the hook dropped him…  
Flying overhead, Shiftwell caught the hook. She flew Mater7 to Turbo and launched him at Acer. Mater7 deployed his thrusters and went barreling into Acer, sending him flying. Redline drove up to Red Lightning and took out his pistol. Together, the two fired bullets at Professor Z that pierced through his metal body, killing him instantly. McMissile, Turbo, Shiftwell and Mater7 all drove up alongside Red Lightning and Redline on the platform.  
"They killed the boss!"  
"Kill them!"  
All at once, the room was full of gremlins, trunkovs, pacers and hugos, all racing to the agents. The six agents jumped off the platform and down into the oncoming army of lemons.

"With Zil gone and the L.E.M.O.N.S. wiped out, we had nothing to worry about. We saved the day and we're still waiting all these years for a new bad guy to come along so we can beat them, too."  
"WHAT?! Mater, that didn't happen."  
"Oh yeah, then why did they let me keep these here rockets?"  
Mater forgot that when the thrusters came out, they instantly sent him flying. Mater was sent flying down the road, leaving two long lines of fire after him. McQueen looked at the flames, staring, stunned, into the distance.


	3. II. The Doc Hudson Scenario

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's doing their own scenario of what Cars 2 would be like if Doc was in it, here's mine.
> 
> Special thanks to sarahenany for helping me out with this chapter ;)

McQueen carefully pushed the two doors that lead into the back part of the Ornament Valley Mechanical Clinic and his eyes widen. Slowly, he made his way into the room, to where his mentor was lying. He had heard about what happened, but he hadn't been expecting this. It's funny really, McQueen had seen Doc's crash back in '54 a few times and had seen the state he was in after, but to see Doc damaged in real life, it was about ten times worse than he imagined. Despite the doors making no sound, Doc seemed to know who had entered the room.  
"Hey Doc..."  
"Hello, McQueen." A hospital white Hyundai Coupe, '02 series, rolled into the room with a friendly smile. His ID plate said ‘Dr. Freelander, M.D.’ "Con-congratulations on winning your 4th Piston Cup.”  
"Yeah...thanks..."  
An awkward silence filled the room, despite the sounds of the machines beeping behind McQueen.  
"How fast was the train going?"  
"It was going at least 80 mph, managed to slow down from 130 mph..."  
McQueen looked at Doc from front to rear bumper. He still had the massive dent from where the train hit him, as well as the scuffed paint, dirty and scratched chrome and deep scratches on his sides and roof from his rolls. Silence once again filled the room before Dr. Freelander spoke up.  
"He's on the mend, but it is a very long and slow process… you know...I don't think he wouldn't like you spending your months off in here." McQueen turned around as Dr. Freelander slowly opened one of the doors. "These doors are always open, just try not spend too long in here..."  
"Yeah, ok Doc."  
"I think your best friend has many plans for you this summer...and I believe your girlfriend is waiting for that date you promised her during your racing series."  
Dr Freelander let the door swing back and forth as McQueen drove through the buildingto the exit and out into the light.

 

"You ready for some fun?"  
"Ready? I'm always ready, I can handle anything you throw at me."  
"We'll see..." Mater smirked darkly as he drove away, leaving McQueen slightly confused.  
Panting heavily, Francesco rolled over the finish line and found a cheeky smirk on McQueen's face, just past it.  
"What happened Francesco, the fastest race car couldn't keep up?"  
"Nonsense. Francesco only let you-a win because he didn't want-a you to lose in your-a home town."  
"You mean, how you lost in yours?" Lewis added with a smirk.  
The WGP racers all laughed as Francesco went as red as his paint.  
"Oh, hello, Michael,” someone said as a car drove through the entrance to their practice track. A white ‘02 Hyundai Coupe. McQueen’s eyes focused on him.  
Dr Freelander didn't say anything, he just looked at his hood as he drove up to the group. McQueen felt as if he’d short-circuited. "Is everything… is Doc ok?"  
"I'm so sorry, McQueen...there was nothing I could do..."  
McQueen's felt his oil run cold and he roared away to the Mechanical Clinic, leaving a shocked and confused group of race cars behind him. 

The clinic seemed quieter, colder. He pushed the doors open to Doc’s bay. Instead of the monitor’s constant beeping, a piercing whine bounced off the walls. He drove slowly towards his mentor's lifeless body and felt tears escaping his eyes as he sighed heavily. He missed it...he hadn’t wanted Doc to die alone. In these long months, he’d accepted the inevitable end, but he’d wanted to be in the room with Doc Hudson in his last moments.   
He turned away, not wanting Doc to see him, despite him being dead...or so he thought. As he rolled away to go back to his and Sally's garage, the beeping started up again and a loud gasp echoed around the room.   
McQueen froze. He whirled to see Doc struggling to open his eyes. He darted to his bedside.  
"Doc?" he breathed.  
Doc’s eyes fixed on McQueen’s, lucid and full of affection. "You got a lot of stuff, kid, I'm proud of you..."  
"Thanks, Doc..." McQueen whispered. His engine was off, but it felt like his RPM’s were going through the roof as Doc Hudson gave him a final, warm smile.  
Doc's eyes closed. The machine stopped beeping and began to whine again.   
Lightning should be sad. He knew that. But instead, all he could do was smile softly.  
The doors squeaked behind him and he turned to see Rip, holding the door. McQueen, still smiling, drove past him and out into the open. Rip looked from McQueen to Doc, then drove out.  
McQueen drove out, to find the WGP racers and the resistance waiting.  
"You ok, man?" Jeff asked.  
"Yeah… I really am."  
No one knew why McQueen was smiling, but the reason was simple. Not only did he hear Doc speak before he died and not only was he there when he did, but Doc's words gave him a boost of confidence which stayed with him for a while afterwards. McQueen felt like he was ready for the next Piston Cup season, despite the fact that Doc wasn't around anymore.


	4. III. The Hollywood Ending Scenario

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lightning McQueen enters the Florida 500 under a new sponsor, new number and new name.

"Welcome back everyone to another Piston Cup season, where today we are at Florida's beach for the Dinoco 500 in style. I got to tell you, Darrell, I've never seen a speedway more technologically advanced than this, able to fit a quarter of a million fans in the stands and with a great view of not only the sea but the track itself. I'm Bob Cutlass, joined always by my co-presenter Darrell Cartrip."  
"This is certainly a way to start the new season of strong, fans everywhere are waiting to see what these racers are going to bring to the field. And if they can at least rival Jackson Storm."  
"Speaking of certain, let's check in with Stat Sensation, Miss Natalie Certain. Natalie, what have you got for us today?"  
"Well Bob, Storm's numbers seem to improve every single race. Storm's appears to be 96.8% unstoppable today with every car only giving a 1.3% of a challenge. I'm willing to bet he'll win this race before it even begins."  
"Well, let's see if Lightning McQueen has anything to say about it."  
"Whipplefilter?" Miss Fritter gasped. "Nobody better even think about touching that channel...or else!"  
"Being the only remaining veteran racer in the Piston Cup, a lot is riding on his bumpers to put on a show and considering his unusual ways of training for this day, it sounds like he's ready for today. The only question is, will it be enough to pose a challenge against Storm..."  
***  
The pit row was busy, pitties driving around with stacks of tires, race cars being interviewed or talking to other cars, trailers occupying the spots. In one of the many storage garages behind pit row, behind the barbed wire fencing, one garage door was closed with a certain red race car inside.

The light above McQueen did light up the entire room but McQueen knew there were two pitties in the dark corners. "Wait, what? What did you say?"  
"I'm not letting you race."  
A million questions buzzed around in his mind, until finally he found his voice. "...what...are you...we had a deal!"  
Sterling sighed; it was obvious McQueen wasn't going to listen. "It's the best thing for you. Don't you realise what you are? The biggest brand racing's ever seen."  
"Brand?" McQueen asked, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "I'm not a brand..."  
"Are you kidding? The second you retire, you'll be worth two, three times more than you can make on the track. Oil, tires, all kind of endorsements. As a fan, I want all of this for you."  
"Tires? Oil?! We had a deal!"  
"We did." Sterling calmly replied. "Until your numbers started coming back from your training."  
"Numbers?"  
"Your suit, that you were wearing on the entire trip. I was tracking your speed and agility, on the beach, on the road, in the demolition derby and then...we noticed how your numbers compared with Cruz's."  
"Cruz?" McQueen gasped.  
"She was wearing one of those suits as well and Lightning, the numbers she put up everyday while she was racing with you, well, I've never seen anything like it. Not to mention, she got better by the day. It's funny, she was out there to train you but instead, she was actually being trained by you. She was learning from the great Lightning McQueen: I should be thanking you."  
Just then, two pitties from the Racing Centre came out from behind Sterling and drove alongside McQueen.  
"Now, you move much quicker into phase 2 of your career and I can race her, I'd be a fool not to."  
"Hey, what are you doing?! Sto-hey! You can't do this!" McQueen shouted as they ripped off his 95 stickers.  
"I'm sorry. I know how much you wanted to race today." There was a pause before Sterling turned serious. "I took your name off the 95 license and put Cruz's up instead. I can only race one car. Now go home, get some rest, you'll feel better in a few days."  
The door opened and then drove in. "You wanted to see me, sir...oh, Mister McQueen, already for the big race?"  
"I was, but now you are."  
"Wait, what?"  
"Sterling took my name of the racers sheet and put your name down instead. I'm not racing today."  
Cruz then turned around and stared at Sterling in disbelieve.  
"Are you serious? This is McQueen's last chance and your just going to take it from him!"  
"Look, you've seen Natalie's numbers." The Radiator Springs residents had crowded in one by one to see what all the commotion was about. They were all here now, in time to hear everything. "Her numbers never lie, if she says Storm has a 95.2% chance of winning, then he does. McQueen has no chance, whereas you do."  
"I do…?"  
"The numbers came back from the trip and they were amazing. You've got a very high chance. If I were you, I'd take it."  
As the two argued, McQueen was lost in thought. At first, he was kind of doubting she had the skills to race Storm, until he remembered how she drove, how she drifted, how she avoided being hit at Thunder Hollow, how she overtook him at Thomasville...  
"Guido!" Everyone stopped and looked at McQueen. "Take those numbers off her. Ramone, you got your paints?"  
"You know I do."  
"Alright, give her a racing livery."  
"Mister McQueen, what are you doing?"  
"Today's the day Cruz, you're getting your shot."  
"Wait, what?! No, no, no, I can't do this, I'm just a trainer."  
"No, you're not." McQueen took a deep breath. "As a racer, you got to take every shot you get because you never know when it's going to be your last. And out there, in Thomasville, I didn't see Cruz the trainer, I saw Cruz the racer. Instead of you training me, I was training you...I guess it took me a while to see it..."  
"So...you're ok with this?"  
"I wouldn't have asked Ramone to do this if I wasn't."  
"We better hurry." Smokey interrupted. "The interviews will be wrapping up in a moment and Cruz still needs to set up on pit row."  
"Ramone?"  
"Eh...best I can do in the time frame boss." Guido stuck the stickers on her sides before dashing off to get a mirror. When he returned, Cruz gasped. The black outlines were gone and instead, two-toned red numbers were on her sides, lighter red inside the 95 with a darker red around the sticker. He name was written above her windows and Rust-Eze painted above her rear wheel-arches.  
"Yeah, that'll work."  
Cruz looked at McQueen but before they could say anything, Sterling rolled up.  
"Yes, yes. This is a big moment for you but need I remind you, your second biggest moment is about 30 minutes away so, can we get this show on the road?"  
"Oh, yes. Of course."  
"Lightning, since you're not racing, I'll be seeing you Monday morning for a photo shoot."  
Everyone went towards to pits, but McQueen took a deep breath.  
"No..."  
Everyone stopped but Sterling was the first to turn around.  
"I'm not becoming a brand. I gave you your wish, Cruz is going to be racing instead of me so my part of the deal is done."  
"What deal?"  
Guido grabbed the Rust-Eze sticker on his bonnet and ripped it off. Everyone gasped as Guido placed it on Cruz.  
"I quit."  
"You...we...we had a deal!"  
"And the deal is done. You said it yourself, you can only race one car. If you can change a deal, I think I can too. Because I didn't take part in the Florida 500, our original deal still stands, and since Cruz is racing for Rust-Eze, I have no choice to retire. If you're not going to follow it, I'm not going to follow it either."  
Guido placed the last Rust-Eze sticker on Cruz's rear bumper and drove alongside McQueen.  
"Good luck out there, Cruz." Cruz nodded before he looked at Sterling. "Good day to you sir!" McQueen and Fillmore turned around and drove away to the exit. Guido stared coldly at Sterling.  
"Il mi fa schifo." He spat, before actually spitting on the ground and drove away.  
"Ah, whatever. Come on Cruz, let's go."

The three drove through the fence but unlike the other two, McQueen stopped and turned around to look back at the track. He had tried so hard to be the best and now, he was at the end of the road. With one big sigh, he continued driving until he found Guido loading up Mack.  
"So, this is it..."  
"Yeah...you have a new racer to drive around now, you're not out of your job yet. You should be happy."  
"I know, I know. I'm just going to miss you, that's all."  
McQueen smirked. "You do realise that you can get into trouble for this."  
"I don't care. You gave me this job, I want to be your driver until you retire. And since we both didn't realise that the last race was our last drive, I want to give you a proper send off."  
"Thanks Mack."  
"Lightning McQueen..." He jumped and turned to find him face to face with Tex Dinoco. "I thought I'd ever see the day you actually retire. Look at you, sponsorless, numberless...this will never do. Lucky for you, I know the perfect sponsor. And I have the perfect number for you. Shame it’s been tucked away for 50 years."  
McQueen blinked in confusion, he had no idea what to think.  
"I think the world's ready to know the answer, are you ready to do some racing?"  
McQueen revved his engine in delight. "Just watch me."  
Tex was so excited he couldn't contain his excitement and let out a very long and loud "Yee-haw!" Smokey smirked as him and McQueen shared a look of determination.  
"Well, come on then," Smokey smiled as Ramone rolled up alongside. "Let's go racing."  
***  
In the commentating box, the experts were still discussing the race. "So, you don't think Cruz has a chance?"  
"Let's face it, she started out as a trainer. This is her first race and she hasn't even trained hard for it. I doubt she even will finish in the top 5."  
Before another question could be asked, a loud fanfare interrupted all interviews as Bob's voice came through the speakers.  
"Ladies and gentlecars, Dinoco have confirmed they have a racer for this race, as they will take the 43rd spot on the grid. No more information has been confirmed other than a number, 51. The race car in question is in the Dinoco garage and will be ready in a moment."  
Many reporters fled to the garage while others stayed to interview their chosen car.  
"So Storm, can you tell us why you think you're..."  
"Give me a second." He said as he drove off, leaving a bewildered reporter behind.  
Storm pushed past the crowd of reporters waiting to get a good shot of the mystery car. He stopped in front of them as the garage opened. A few seconds after the garage door fully opened, revealing a dark room, the sound of a loud revving engine echoed around the dark room, soon however, the revs got louder and louder until the racer was revealed to be Lightning McQueen. His normal red paint was replaced with the blue Doc used from his racing days. His lightning bolts were now smaller and were white with the words "Fabulous Lightning McQueen" rewritten above them. His small bolts on his hood were now replaced by "Dinoco Powered" and a big yellow 51 was on his roof. On his rear bumper had the words "In Memory of Doc Hudson" and even had his old sticker.  
"I don't believe it, racing fans!" Darrell was flabbergasted. "It's racing's all-time great, Lightning McQueen!"  
Fans both watching the race at the stadium and on TV cheered loudly as the blue racer stopped short of the garage door. He grinned as the stadium came to life with cheers. He then struck a pose and shone his right side head-light into one of the camera with a "Ka-chow!" That made the fans cheer more. Storm himself was speechless but he collected himself and rolled closer to McQueen. Instead of stopping, he circled him, checking him out before stopping alongside him.  
"Hm...well, you look good. I mean, it's important you look the part, can have us other racers think you're not one of us." Strom drove away, leaving Lightning and a crowd of bewildered reporters behind. "Do try to keep up now, you hear? Don't make it too easy on me."  
***  
Lightning rolled onto pit row to find his pit was between Rust-Eze and IGNTR. Smokey was on the pit box with headset and Guido was waiting with four new tires for McQueen. As Guido changed his tires, the townsfolk admired McQueen's new racing colours.  
"Ah bellissimo! It's great."  
"I don't know what's better, your new livery or my baby Ramone's masterpiece."  
"You know it, baby."  
"Awesome, man."  
"We'll be waiting for you in victory lane, soldier."  
"You look good, buddy."  
"You look great," Sally smirked. McQueen smiled back until he looked back at the pit behind him.  
"How's Cruz doing?"  
"She's been better." Sally replied. McQueen narrowed his eyes. "You should have heard what that Storm fella was saying to her,” Sally added.  
"What did he say?"  
"He was saying how slow and inexperienced she was, that sort of stuff."  
McQueen sighed heavily, knowing his anger was fuelling him instead of gas. Just then, Storm rolled by.  
"Oh, and try not to crash, now! We want you all to finish the race this time and I don't want this to be an easy win...even though you can't put up much of a fight anyway." He pulled into his pit and his crew chuckled along with him as they worked on him.  
"Can you do two things for me?" Sally asked McQueen. "Come back awake."  
"I'll try my best." He whispered reassuringly. "What's the second thing?"  
"Don't let him win."  
"Now that I can do." He winked.  
"Attention, all cars to the end of pit row. The sighting laps will begin momentarily."  
McQueen, Cruz and Storm moved out of their pit and joined the other cars. "Get her done 51!" Mater blinked, realising what he said. "Done 51...that's funny right there..."

The pace car took the cars on a few laps. Storm was on pole with Paul Conrev and Sheldon Shifter behind him on row 2, with Lightning and Cruz on the last row. Cruz exhaled heavily.  
"This is it, huh..."  
"You scared?" McQueen raised an eyebrow.  
"Yeah..."  
"Well, I knew this car who told me you can use anything negative to push through the positive." McQueen grinned. Cruz gave McQueen a weak smile.  
"Hey," Smokey interrupted. "Can you two focus on what you're here to do?" Both cars nodded and turn their attention back to the flag-truck. "Oh and one more thing, let's see if you can make Doc proud once more."  
"You got it." McQueen smirked.  
The green flag waved and the cars picked up speed. Once his tires were over the line, McQueen began overtaking cars. Cruz tried to follow, but Paul and Sheldon wouldn’t give her a chance to pass. By the time he was going through the first turn, Lightning had overtaken three cars.  
"Lightning McQueen is already beginning his climb towards first place."  
"He's still has a long way to go if he wants to beat Storm," Natalie replied confidently.  
Lap 22 turned into Lap 23 as McQueen overtook Leak Less and then shot to the left, passing in front of him and overtaking Barry DePadel.  
"Not a bad start." Smokey’s voice came through the headset. "First place is out of the question?"  
"I trained hard for this moment," McQueen replied, pulling alongside Michael Rotors, then drawing level with Herb Curber, "shame to let that go to waste."  
"Well then, dig those wheels into the asphalt and remember your training. Find Storm and stay with him. Be prepared for any tricks."  
"Yo, Cruz said Mister McQueen got three laps to catch him," Cruz’s crew chief called out.  
"Cruz said you got three laps to catch him."  
McQueen smirked and over took Brenda and cut in front of her. The cars came back around into another lap with McQueen now in 31st place.

With the laps toiling away, McQueen continued to rack up places and he started to get closer to Storm. What happened on lap 181, no one really knows. HJ Hollis in second, at the time, said Storm wasn't paying attention whereas Storm said HJ shouldn't have overtaken him on the exit of a turn and it wasn't his fault, but whatever the reason was, HJ got hit by Storm and started to lose control. He slid sideways and got hit by Cam Spinner, then spun around and crashed into Barry DePedal. The other cars braked and turned off to go onto the in-field of the turn and McQueen was about to follow when the No-Stall racer suddenly turned into the tree and the Florida track turned into the forest. McQueen drifted around and a huge grin started to form on his face as he sped up. He drifted around the Lil' Torquey Piston racer before drifting around the other way around Carbon Cyber. He straightened himself out and weaved past Richie Gunzit, JP Drive and Paul Conrev, barely missing them.  
"History seems to be repeating itself as Lightning McQueen is the only car in the wreckage moving under his own power."  
McQueen jumped over an out-of-control Steve LaPage and flew through the wall of smoke before hitting the ground and rejoining the pack. McQueen chuckled quietly as he was now right behind Storm in fourth. Storm had no idea where McQueen was, he was too busy thinking of how to get back his lead.  
"Green light’s on, pit row is open and everyone's coming in." All the cars that weren't in the crash began stopping in their pits while the others had to be towed in.  
"But all eyes are on two cars in particular, Jackson Storm and Lightning McQueen, as they both enter their pit boxes at the same time. Guido started the moment McQueen came to a stop, whereas Storm's pitties started 1 second after he stopped. McQueen had only stopped for 5 seconds and before he knew it, he was ready to go.”  
The commentators continued. Ryan Laney and Chase Racelott were just about to pass McQueen's box, but McQueen spun his tires as he drove out of the box and got out in front of them. The three drove to the end of pit row, with other cars following. Storm finally got out but was now in 11th with Cruz right behind him.

The fans cheered loudly when the pace car finally moved into pit row and the green flag waved.  
"Green flag, let's go."  
McQueen reacted quickly again and formed a big gap over the others. It wasn't enough to keep ahead of Storm as he caught up again in the matter of a lap. He quickly shot in front of McQueen and McQueen then lost control. He hit the wall and skid along the wall for a while. He then moved away from the wall but he still didn't have enough traction and found himself skidding sideways into the infield. The crowd didn't say anything and watched in dismay as he stopped.  
"Hm...looks like the champ came back to racing too soon. His retirement is coming closer than ever." He laughed with his crew laughing as well.  
"That was low," Chase snarled, who was behind Storm to his left. "even by your standards."  
"Good luck fixing your reputation after this." Ryan added bluntly, who was on his right side.  
"Yeah, whatever...how about you beat me and then we'll talk..." He smirked, pulling further ahead from the pack.  
McQueen regained his surroundings and rolled back onto the track. Cruz had been waiting for McQueen and the two began to catch up to the pack.  
"You ok Mister McQueen?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Cruz."  
"What's the damage?" Smokey's voice came through the radio.  
McQueen looked back at his right side, his rear wheel arch had a massive dent from where he had hit the wall and the paint had been scuffed from sliding along the wall.  
"Non-race threatening. I can still go on."  
"Alright, Storm's still in first. No doubt he feel very cocky from doing that, you might need to teach him a lesson."  
"No..." McQueen glanced at the flag-truck. "Not yet..."  
"Lightning McQueen appears to not be attacking as soon as he returns to the track."  
"McQueen's one smart guy, he probably has a trick or two up his wheel-wells. Don't count your tires before they pop."  
To everyone's surprise, McQueen stayed in last for two laps. Then, on the third time going around, before anyone knew it, he attacked and overtook Bubba Wheelhouse Jr, before overtaking Aaron Clocker. As he left Turn 1, he was now fifth from last.  
"I told ya, I told ya!"  
"Lightning is getting his fighting form back as he begins his climb back to first."  
Lightning wasn't going to give up. He had lost the lead to Storm nine times too many, he wasn't going to lose it again.

"Bump on the inside, don't go airborne."  
McQueen darted to the right, hugging the wall before darting left, heading into turn 2. He smirked, continuing to lap car after car. He swung wide after overtaking Slam DeBrakes and cutting in front of Flip Dover and Rich Mixon. He then drafted behind Michael Motor heading into turn 1.   
"McQueen's using every trick he knows and learned to catch Storm.”  
"He's on a mission..."  
Lightning overtook Herb Curbler when his eyes fixed on Sheldon Shifter and the Clutch Aid racer. In one quick movement, he drifted past Sheldon Shifter before drifting the other way around the Clutch Aid racer.  
"Lightning McQueen! Woo-hoo, yes!" Maddy McGear cheered as everyone else joined in too.  
"The crowd came here to watch a race but McQueen's giving them a race and a show.  
McQueen overtook JP Drive and the Gasprin racer before moving down to the inside line and drafting Brenda. Instead of continuing to follow Brenda, he followed Spare Mint racer into pit row. Although he entered his box first, McQueen wasn't worried. Guido worked fast once more and McQueen was out first once more. He raced out onto the track and slid in behind Tim Treadless. 

McQueen was making excellent progress and sure enough...  
"Just want to let you know. McQueen's moving up towards you."  
"He's finally left last place?"  
"No."  
"Then why should I care?"  
"Because he's now in the top 15."  
Storm rolled his eyes. McQueen had finished within range of him, he couldn't care less. He led the cars onto another lap, with McQueen now closing the gap between him and Vinyl Touppe racer.  
"He's now in the top 10..."  
"Keep it up kid, you're going great."  
Storm raced down the long straight towards turn 2. McQueen then slipped in behind JD through turn 2, and then shot past him and Ryan.  
"Come on Stickers!"  
"Get her done, 51!"  
There were 5 laps to go when...  
"He's out of the top 5 and now in the top 3..."  
This is when Storm began to get a little bit worried. But then it got worse.  
"He's in second. McQueen is now behind you."  
Now Storm was fully worried. Luckily, he had an idea. He began to slow down and let the pack catch up with him.  
"What are you doing, Storm?" the Rev 'N' Go racer thought.  
Storm rolled alongside McQueen and quickly moved in front of McQueen before McQueen could react. McQueen shot left and then followed his path once he was behind Strom. McQueen was now drafting Storm.  
"What are you waiting for?" Ray shouted. "Shake him off!"  
Smokey laughed as they went by.

Storm kept swerving but McQueen reactions were just to good and he just couldn't shake him.  
"Stop doing this!" Storm yelled. "You're taking me off my line."  
"Last lap!"  
"Get rid of him, Storm!"  
The white flag waved as Storm and McQueen came around once more. "Aren't you supposed to be the greatest next-gen racer? Come on, show me that 95.2% I heard about."  
"You're not winning this!"  
"My my, someone's angry."  
"I. am not. angry."  
"You know, cars don't say angry while gritting their teeth if they aren't."  
"I said I'm not angry!"  
McQueen looked onto the other side of the track and the flag-truck was ready to wave the chequered flag.  
"Hey Jackson, Storm's over. Make room so this lightning bolt can shine."  
Storm growled loudly. He was so angry that he almost let Lightning overtake him.  
"I don't think so!" He tried to slam the door on him again but McQueen swerved the other way. McQueen drew alongside Storm and in a fit of rage, Storm slammed into McQueen. McQueen was ready and began to push against him and a shower of sparks poured from the two cars as they tried to stop each other from winning. Suddenly, McQueen realised that Storm was sliding ahead. Now that he was out of Storm's draft, his speed decreased but if he hadn't been clinging onto Storm, he might have lost the race. Storm was also pushing McQueen closer to the wall. Then, the finish line came into view...  
"Kid, get out of there!"  
"Come on, Stickers."  
"You took your last victory long ago, old-timer!"  
Then Storm turned into the rookie. McQueen looked ahead of them and found himself looking through Doc's POV of Smokey's story, as Florida was replaced by Thomasville.  
McQueen eased off more and Storm was pushing harder into the wall. In one quick movement, he put his right wheels on the wall and then flipped over Storm. Time slowed down. Smokey and Sally eyes widened, Doc's old racing buddies’ jaws dropped and Maddy found herself frozen. Time returned back to normal as McQueen's rear right wheel hit the ground and the sound of tires squealing echoed around the speedway. Storm was so shocked that he didn't realise he’d hit the wall. McQueen shot forward and crossed the line, with the chequered flag waving above him.  
"I don't believe it, Lightning storms into the lead and takes the win!"  
"I am speechless!"  
Fireworks shot up into the sky from the beach as the crowd went nuts. Storm stopped scraping the wall long enough to come 20th. Smokey and the the Radiator Springs resistances cheered in delight as McQueen did his parade lap.  
"Lightning McQueen!"  
"Nicely done, kid." Louie smiled.  
The Crazy Eight racers shouted and the hit the ground so hard, the building felt like it shook. Even Lizzie couldn't contain her excitement and let out a "Woo-hoo!"

Darrell watched as McQueen had finished his parade lap. "Man, that was a heck of a win." He then turned around. "So, still think your numbers never lie?"  
Natalie chuckled nervously. "Well, they can't be right all the time, where's the fun in that?"  
McQueen sighed happily, he hadn't won a race in ages and had forgotten how great it was.  
"Dude, you were amazing." Daniel winked as he pulled alongside, but moved away from McQueen as Chase pulled alongside.  
"Much respect bro."  
"Hell of a win." Ryan smirked, as he and Bubba pulled alongside on the other side of him.  
"You’re living proof that you can teach an old-timer new tricks." Bubba chuckled.  
"And you’re living proof not everyone can be a racer." McQueen laughed, as he pulled ahead of the four. The crowds chanted his name and he then proceed to do some victory doughnuts. McQueen was quickly hidden from view but then, the sound of squealing tires stopped altogether. He then jumped out, struck a pose and yelled "Ka-Chow!"  
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how over the top was that?"  
"4." Sally chuckled, driving closer to him. "Needs more smoke."  
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're just trying to stroke my ego."

"Out of my way, move it, rusty!" Sterling shouted at Mater. "Are you for real? We had a deal!"  
"We did, before you decided to change it."  
"I had to, for the future of this company. If Rust-Eze is going to survive, we had to make some sacrifices."  
"Tell me this, were those sacrifices worth it?"  
Sterling and McQueen glared at each other.  
"Mister Sterling, I would like to talk to you." Tex and Sterling drove away, with Tex giving McQueen a wink.  
"Excellent racing today, McQueen."  
"King!"  
"Nice to see the long line of greats are still continuing. We were worried for a while with Cal."  
"Again, right here." Cal replied bluntly.  
Reporters surrounded McQueen questions all the while his confidence grew.

And for a long time afterwards, McQueen was happy. Sterling was fired and Rusty and Dusty came back when Tex bought Rust-Eze. McQueen gained a lot of respect, especially from the next gen racers. The next gen racers that gave him a lot of respect were Cruz Ramirez, Ryan Laney, Bubba Wheelhouse Jr, Chase Racelott and Daniel Swervez. Jackson Storm raced for the rest of the season and quit due to the embarrassment and humiliation. He ended up joining a GT racing series. Cruz, Chase, Ryan, Daniel, Bubba and McQueen became very good friends and enjoyed racing against each other. They kept playing tricks on each other and even took a roadtrip, with the exact same locations that McQueen and Cruz took for this race. Thomasville had been rebuilt and the Doc's old racing friends got new paintjobs. The next gen and the old racers found themselves racing on the speedway for an entire weekend. The Piston Cup may never be the same without McQueen's old friends but with his new friends, McQueen felt like there was no place he’d rather be.


	5. II. The Death of a Main Character Scenario

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a scenario I wanted to do for sometime but wanted to delay it until I knew what to do. This is actually a deleted scene from one of my other stories, Friends to the End. This was originally supposed to be the crash scene in the story, the actual crash was based on Niki Lauda’s in 1976 but the whole premise of the scene was inspired by Ayrton Senna’s death in 1994, but I got rid of it and decided to keep to the original crash scene in the movie. This is where the ratings once again go up :p  
> Oh, I originally was going to continue writing up to when Axlerod’s got exposed but I decided not to, as it kinda goes against what the title suggests, might finish later but for the moment, this is where it ends.
> 
> Special thanks to sarahenany for helping me out with this chapter ;)

Lightning was in the lead heading towards Big Bentley, Francesco right on his bumper.  
“Here he comes,” Grem sung darkly. One of the panels of the clock to the right of Mater was open, so he could see McQueen going over Westminster Bridge, with Francesco and Miguel right behind. He felt his RPM’s rising and glanced worriedly at Grem.  
Grem grinned as he pushed the lever all the way. The camera began to whine. The sound grew louder and louder as the red beam got wider. Mater felt his engine shaking. Lightning was just under Big Bentley when there was a sudden burst of orange. Huge amounts of smoke erupted from McQueen as his entire engine bay burst into flame. Sally gasped loudly as she watched her boyfriend catch fire. McQueen skidded out to the right and hit the wall. Bits and pieces of metal flew off his chassis before he bounced off the concrete, spinning out to the left and stopping on the track. Miguel collided with him, causing him to spin faster, and got hit by Shu. All three cars in the collision stopped, the other racers stopping before the corner. They watched as the flames grew bigger. “McQueen!”  
Following the Porto Corsa crash a week back, Sir Axlerod had set up several ambulances along the way but weirdly, a fire truck was at the corner by Big Bentley. It was quick to respond and headed to the scene. Miguel and Shu saw the truck and knew that they had to help.  
“Hayaku!” Shu shouted. “Watashi ni shōkaki o agete kudasai!”  
“Dame uno tambien!” Miguel shouted too.   
And so the two pitties quickly began tying each of the extinguishers to their front left tires while the truck tried to put out the fire.  
“Miguel, you take care of the front. Shu, go to the rear and try and stop it from there.”  
“Derecha.” Miguel nodded. “Estoy en ello.”   
The emergency crew gave them the all clear and they slammed the extinguishers down on the ground, while the two pitties used the handle. With the help of the fire truck, the flames got smaller and smaller until just a small flame was all was left. The fire extinguishers were untied and fell on the ground with a thud.   
Both cars were breathing heavily as the burnt body of McQueen lay on the track in front of them. The Radiator Springs folks were utterly speechless as they watched the live feed of McQueen’s smoking, gutted chassis being carefully lifted. Sally’s eyes were full of tears and she lost all control. She sobbed loudly and Flo comforted her.  
The pitties carefully loaded him into an ambulance and closed the doors. Miguel and Shu closed their eyes, holding back their tears. The other racers were tearing up too but Nigel was the first to start crying. Carla rubbed her tire on his hood before Nigel clung onto her. Carla was surprised at first but continued to rub her tire on his roof. Rip started sniffing loudly; Max put his tire on his hood. Rip looked up and gave him a weak smile. Max did too.  
“Chrysler, qui es aux cieux, s'il te plaît, prends soin de notre ami comme il a pris soin de son ami.” Raoul muttered under his breath, trying hard to hold back his tears.  
“All cars report to pit row,” Darrell’s voice came over the speakers. “I repeat, all cars report to pit row. Sir Axlerod has a few words he would like to say.”

“Well, it’s done,” Grem said as he reversed away from the camera.   
Mater watched the cars race back to the starting line. He tried desperately to hold back his tears. He didn’t want to believe his best friend was dead, he wouldn’t believe it. He felt that somehow McQueen was alive, but every other car knew McQueen’s racing days were over. Holley and Finn didn’t say anything, they just let out a huge sigh, not sure how to comfort Mater. Mater finally lost all control of his emotions and burst out crying.  
“Oh great going Grem,” Acer smirked. “You made the baby cry.”  
“Aw, there’s not time to worry about-”  
As Grem and Acer carried on talking, Mater was still crying through his blood-shot eyes but he stopped and his eyes continued to tear up as he listened to the ambulance’s sirens blaring below. Grem watched the ambulance drive over the Westminster Bridge before turned his attention back to the headset he had on.  
“McQueen’s dead, Professor. They’re taking him back to the pits.”  
“Good, now time to go to the second part of the plan.”  
“Copy that,” he then turned to Acer, “we’re engaging part two.”  
“Part two?”  
“Let’s just say, those racers are going back to the pits to have a moment of silence and Sir Axlerod has some words he wants to say.”  
“And once the special guest arrives, instead of saying some nice words about McQueen, they’ll able to say them to McQueen themselves.” They chuckled loudly. Mater growled despite the tears still trailing down his doors.  
“Aw, don’t feel bad about your best friend,” Acer pretended to comfort him in a very sarcastic voice. “You couldn’t have saved him… Oh wait, you could have.”  
“Dad-gum lemons!”  
“Request acknowledged.” The guns started to come out but the ropes stopped them, making them spin, and they went back in. The two lemons laughed again.  
“What? You think we didn’t take your bullets?” Grem explained through his laughter. “How stupid do you think we are?” Mater then realised that the ropes were slightly torn. The speed that the guns had been rotating was cutting the ropes. He pretended he hadn’t noticed and went back to being angry. The two cars finally stopped laughing by the time he continued to glare at them.  
“Enjoy those cogs because that’s the last thing you’ll see.” Grem and Acer made their way for the elevator and went back down to the ground floor.  
“There’s got to be away out of this.” Finn looked everywhere, but once Mater couldn’t hear Grem and Acer anymore, he started saying “Dad-gum!”, but each time he said it, he said it more aggressive and faster. The guns started to cut through the ropes until the ropes snapped and they zipped quickly around his body and sending him down onto two cogs below him. He landed on the two, with his wheels spinning for a while until he moved onto the cog that was going the way he wanted to go and brought him onto a lower platform. He drove around until he stopped in front of Holley.  
“I got to get you all out of there!” Mater shouted.  
“There’s no time!” Finn roared back. “Those cars need your help!”  
“But I can’t, I’m just a tow truck!”  
“No tow truck would have gotten this far, or got out of that so easily. You can do this. Clear those pits!”  
“But what about you guys?!”  
“We’ll be fine! Just go! Before they get the other cars!”  
“McQueen would want you to do this!” Holley added.  
Mater took a deep breath and quickly, he headed for the platform. He burst through the doors at the bottom of the tower and raced out onto the busy road. He disappeared around the hedging, but unknown to him, Grem and Acer were hiding at the base of Big Bentley, around the back, and drove slowly out.  
“The tow truck has escaped and on his way, Professor.”  
“Wunderbar. Now would you be so kind and escort our special guest to the pits.”  
“Copy that.” He turned to Acer. “We’re moving onto part three of the plan, tail the Special Guest.”  
Acer nodded and the two raced off, after Mater.

Once Holley and Finn were alone, she glanced nervously at him. “Will we be alright?”  
“He wouldn’t have left if I told him the truth-” The gears turned again and Finn groaned as it brought them closer to the spiral gears. “-going to get killed by a clock.” He chuckled quietly. “Brings a whole new meaning to ‘your time has come’.”  
“Time…” Holley thought. She studied the gears around the clock tower, following the gear that was going to crush them, to another gear, to another until her eyes fell upon a generator, just below them. “That’s it…” She carefully took her front left tire out of the ropes and using her tasers, she launched them at the cables. It stopped a few inches and reeled itself in.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Trying to turn back time.” She launched them again, stopping short again. The gear turned again but Holly and Finn’s roof caused fraction against the gears, making them inch forward.  
“If I can just...reverse...polarity…” She launched them again but this time, the taser tips hit the plugs. Just as Holley hoped, the gears started to turn the wrong way and the two weren’t going to be crushed.  
“Excellent, good thinking Holley!”  
The clocks’ forks were now turning the other way.  
“What’s everycar doing driving on the wrong side of the road for?” Mater exclaimed, weaving through traffic.  
Grem and Acer were tailing Mater from a distance. “He’s almost there.”  
Holley’s smile was wiped away when she noticed they were heading for another gear. “Oh no.”  
Finn wasn’t worried, he realised that the gear was going to go between their rear bumpers and it could be used to cut the ropes. “Holley! Burn rubber!” Their rear tires spun furiously as smoke poured from their rear wheels. Once the ropes were cut, the two shot forward, over the gears and cogs below and onto the platforms in front of them. “We have to help Mater.” The two drove from opposite sides to the side of the platform that had the elevator. “Calculate, fastest route-”  
Holley’s side skirts and spoiler extended out to make wings. Her tail light glasses split and moved up and down and three small exhausts came out, making weird winding up noises as if they were jet engines of a plane. “Done.”  
“Oh, Miss Shiftwell…” Holley just gave him a smug smile. “Oh, you kids get all the good hardware.”  
Finn drove behind Holley but stopped in his tracks when he noticed an air filter on the ground.  
“Oh no, that’s Mater’s.”  
“I knew his escape was too easy.”  
“We need to hurry!” Holley took off. She flew through one of the panels of the clock and down Big Bentley, and straightened up just as she was just above ground level. Finn slammed through the doors and raced onto the busy street.


End file.
